Jeff Jarrett Has a Long-Term Plan With Impact/GFW

– Jeff Jarrett spoke with Sports Illustrated earlier this week for a new interview. The highlights are below:

On changing up the roster: “You need to refresh a roster and create new match-ups. The old saying is familiarity breeds contempt, so my philosophy is to refresh the roster. The brand took a lot of hits over the past 36 months, and the quickest way to rebrand is by bringing in new talent and giving new opportunities.”

On the legal battle with The Hardys: “I’m not going to comment on a legal battle, but I will say that I understand IP [Intellectual Property] law. Whether it’s a song you write or a television show or a movie or professional wrestling, there are three components to IP law. There is publishing, there are writers, and there are performers. The publisher is always the owner. The discussions have really gotten twisted, but IP law is real simple. The publishers are the owners. I’ll leave it at that because I want to take the high road. I think very highly of Jeff, and I respect Matt Hardy’s ability, quite frankly, more than he ever will know, but business is business. I’m very happy for their success, and they’re kicking butt in WWE.”

On his five-year plan with Anthem: “I consulted with Anthem in January, and we came to an agreement by mid-February. March was a whirlwind of activity, and we started change in March, but we are still getting the pieces of the puzzle in play. Slammiversary is the beginning as we move toward Bound for Glory, but we are, realistically, looking at 2018 to fully implement our five-year plan with Anthem. We want to be on television in 2018. And I’d love to go live. Success will dictate that. It is no secret that the whole industry is moving toward video on demand, but there is nothing like a live experience and feel. Watching wrestling live completely changes the experience, and that is a major reason why we are going back on the road for live shows in August.”